- Continued transition. I know we keep asking you to pray for that and you might be thinking, for crying out loud you have been there for 8 weeks you should be good by now. Well, that is somewhat true in getting settled but not for the Culture Shock. I (Pam) especially, am having a hard time with the shock of everything we see around us. I was not prepared enough emotionally to process all of the children living on the streets and the people around them (seemingly) not giving a hoot about any of it (there will be more on that in an upcoming blog post). Also the shock of how Americans are treated here. We are treated like celebrities and we get followed and our picture taken everywhere we go. We have people scream and point at us and say LOOK at the white people. For those of you who know me well know that I am a big behind the scenes kind of gal. I hate the attention and we bring attention wherever we go. We are constantly being watched and that is hard for me. The kids love it :) They say they feel famous lol. I have been told it is something that I will get used to. I guess I just need to keep praying and figure out how to emotionally handle everything around me. We have met some other American missionaries here who I have been able to chat with about all of this. She has been a lot of help and a huge encouragement to me because she has gone through all of it too and understands exactly how I am feeling. I have also had some good chats with some of you about it all. It helps to be able to process it out loud as well.
- School: While school is going well and the kids are really liking learning at home we still have our daily struggles. Sometimes it is really hard to focus on school work when it is so bright and sunshiny outside and all the kids want to do is go play. Also sometimes it can be hard to balance getting things done like I would like to when we are busy with stuff at the shelter. Although all good things and we want to be at the shelter and help out and be apart of anything we can, we also need to find balance and discipline to get the school stuff done too. For the most part we can have a balanced schedule in the morning and then do the fun stuff in the afternoons and evenings, but continued pray is always appreciated :)
- Safety: Although we have never felt unsafe anywhere we have gone, we also would love the continued prayers for safety. Because we are foreigners living here we are easy targets for ransom type activity. We know God is in control and He has us here for a reason and we are grateful that we are in the palm of His hand.
- Continued Comfort: The kiddos are continuing to branch out and make friends. That is great to see. Mady, especially, has had a harder time feeling comfortable talking to people new to her. She is taking the longest to get comfortable, but she is getting there!
- Health: So far we have been pretty healthy, praise the Lord! We have all had a few G.I issues at times but beyond that nothing major. It is Dengue Fever (a mosquito born illness) season and it has been a big deal around us this season. Please pray for us,the staff, and children at CSC that we will all stay healthy especially during this season.
- Church: We have found a couple of churches that we like. Nothing like "home" but 2 churches that we think would be a good fit for our family. Pray that we will see clearly where it is that God wants us to serve.
Thank you so so much for your continues prayers. We appreciate it more then you know. Have a great week! We love you all, God bless!! *Pam
Continuing to keep you in my prayers. Pan I truly understand you discomfort with the bring watched....while in Senegal I always felt like I had something showing that shouldn't be...lol.
ReplyDelete